A Moment of Realization

Bass fell into step with her as she emerged dressed in the same orange coveralls that he was.

"How long was I out?" Charlie asked him as they made their way back to their room.

"A full day. And don't worry I was a complete gentleman."

"Right. That's why I woke up half-dressed." Charlie commented dryly.

Bass smirked. "That was all Sister Martha. I was simply her willing assistant."

Charlie snorted. "I bet."

There was a fresh tray waiting for them when they returned and Bass moved it to the middle of the bed, sitting down beside it.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked.

"Do you see any chairs?" He replied stuffing a piece of bread in his mouth. "I'm not sure how long we'll be here so you need to take advantage of it and eat and sleep while you can," he continued as she sat down next to him.

She gave him a puzzled look. "Why don't you know?"

"Hmm?" he asked looking up from his dinner.

"Why don't you know how long we'll be here?"

Bass shrugged. "I gave Brother William the highlights. He and his people will let us know when it's safe to leave."

"I don't get it, Monroe. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I need to get you home to your Mom and Miles."

When it became obvious he had no intention of explaining any further, Charlie turned her attention to the food.

When they finished, he placed the tray in the hall, and turning the hanging lamp down low, lay on his side of the mattress facing away from her.

Charlie watched him suspiciously for a few minutes, before sliding down, hugging a pillow to her as she finally managed to fall asleep.

Bass lay awake trying to determine what had woke him. He was pulling the shared quilt up higher on his shoulder when Charlie sat upright gasping Mile's name.

"Charlie." Bass said quietly not wanting to startle her as he sat up next to her quaking body.

"Charlie, wake up. It's just a nightmare." He tried again as her breathing got shallower.

Finally, with no response, he lay his hand on her back while saying her name again. He went flying off the bed when she pushed him and went scrambling off herself.

"No!No!No! I'm not going anywhere with her, Miles!" she ground out, pressing her back up against the wall.

Bass sat looking at her in surprise. All he had known for the longest time was that Charlie hadn't been with them when Miles had found him wandering in the hilly terrain not far from the Tower, throwing him in the back of a wagon with a catatonic Rachel. The topic of Charlie had been off-limits until the day the patriots came to town with a stack of wanted posters and Rachel had decided an unsuccessful attempt at slitting her wrists was necessary.

Since Bass' name was adorning several of those same wanted posters and it couldn't hurt to lay low for a while, Miles had begged him to track down Charlie and bring her home before someone else found her and turned her in. Miles hoped that between the two of them they could protect her until they figured this mess out.

Bass had agreed and set off to find the wayward Matheson promising to protect her with his life or die trying. Something he hadn't been able to do for his own Republic or the people in it. He had a feeling that his and Charlie's demons were sharing an express elevator to hell once the sun went down every night.

Crawling across the bed, he crouched down in front of her and took her wrists in his hands. A small scuffle ensued as he repeatedly called her name.

He knew the second she was coherent as a small sob escaped her lips. He let her pull away from him as she pulled her legs up against her body, circling them with her arms, resting her chin on her knees.

"I see it every night," She whispered. "I see my Mom standing behind Aaron telling him that this is the right thing to do. And they do. They turn it on. But then there's a man. Randall. He pushes a button and there are pictures of arrows moving towards Atlanta and Philadelphia and then he puts a bullet in his brain and everyone panics. Miles is counting backwards and Mom and Aaron are trying to turn the power back off. When Miles reached one, Atlanta and Philadelphia just exploded. Thousands of people murdered, cooked in their own skin because of my Mother's need for vengeance. Somethings are worth more than family and no one man was worth the destruction of two cities. Not my Dad. Not Danny. Not Miles. Not even you."

Tears were running down Bass' face by the time she finished. He inhaled sharply as she reached out to run her thumb over their path across his cheek. Taking her hand in his, he sank to the floor beside her so that they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. With a broken look on her face that mirrored his own, Charlie slowly lowered her head to rest on his shoulder.

The next time he woke, he was on the bed covered by the quilt. He remembered pulling her with him to the bed at some point, the two of them lying tangled together trying to ward off their nightmares for just one night.

Throwing the quilt back, he slipped on the woven sandals that he had been given and went in search of his missing wife.

He was at the end of his rope, having convinced himself that she had in fact skipped out on him, when he ran into Sister Martha who pointed him towards a private chapel.

Stepping inside, he saw her sitting in the front row. Raised a Catholic, he caught himself stopping to cross himself out of habit before continuing down the aisle, taking a seat on the same bench.

"I like this room. It's peaceful." Charlie said with a small smile studying the cross hanging on the wall. "Do you believe in this?" she asked turning towards him.

"Maybe once. Not anymore." He replied with a shake of his head.

"Thanks for last night. I think talking about it helped."

"You're welcome, and not to ruin the mood, but in the future I need you to stay with me. Understood?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"I know." He said reaching out to wrap his hand around hers. "But now you don't have too."

After wandering around the church grounds they ended up in the kitchen, volunteering to help prepare the noon meal.

Charlie observed him from where she chopped vegetables as he peeled potatoes and interacted with the residents. He was quiet as he worked with a purpose, not complaining, just pulling his weight and happy to do so, she heard him say to someone, earning a snort from her. Raising his head in her direction he had grinned, flashing her a wink.

She turned her attention back to her pile of vegetables, her mind wandering to last night. It had felt oddly liberating talking to this man about her nightmares. He hadn't tried to invalidate her feelings or tell her that she was wrong to feel the way that she did.

Laying her knife to the side, she was hit with the realization that she had ended up married to her uncle's best friend, her mother's captor and the former Ruler of the Monroe Republic.